Video: Taking notes

In the previous movie I talked about how it's important to try to simplify the process for learning Photoshop and let's take a look at another tip that could help us simplify this process. This tip come to us by way of an experience that I had. A number of years ago I was living in Madrid, Spain, and while I was there I was learning how to speak Spanish. A friend of mine said, Chris, you know what? You need to have a little small notebook, and you need to put that notebook in your back pocket, carry it with you everywhere, and then write down all the new words that you are learning in this notebook. So I did that. Of course I had other notebooks with other notes in them, yet I had this small notebook that had some of the most important things that I was learning, the vocabulary. It helped me expand my vocabulary, so that eventually I was able to become fluent in Spanish.

Photoshop CS4 for Photographers is an essential course for any digital photographer who wants to master the software's vast array of image enhancement techniques. Professional photographer and instructor Chris Orwig uses his own compelling images to demonstrate how the power of Photoshop can make photographers more passionate about their work. He covers many aspects of the application, such as working with RAW images, using curves and levels, making images snap, and enhancing bland photographs by converting them to black and white. Exercise files accompany this course.

Taking notes

In the previous movie I talked about how it's important to try to simplify theprocess for learning Photoshop and let's take a look at another tip that couldhelp us simplify this process. This tip come to us by way of an experience that I had.A number of years ago I was living in Madrid, Spain, and while I was there Iwas learning how to speak Spanish. A friend of mine said, Chris, you know what?You need to have a little small notebook, and you need to put that notebook inyour back pocket, carry it with you everywhere, and then write down all the newwords that you are learning in this notebook.So I did that. Of course I had other notebooks with other notes in them, yet Ihad this small notebook that had some of the most important things that I waslearning, the vocabulary. It helped me expand my vocabulary, so that eventuallyI was able to become fluent in Spanish.

Now, I think that can kind of help us out in Photoshop as well. Yeah, we needto take notes in large notebooks like these, but then I think it might be agood idea to have a small notebook, and in that small notebook write down someof the more important things that you are learning, otherwise what happens isyou have this big notebook with all this information in it, and then there's ashortcut right here, on page 15 let's say, are you ever going to really be ableto find that shortcut? Well no, because it's buried inside of the rest of the information.Again, so for me, when I'm learning new software application or learningsomething new about Photoshop, I have a small notebook, where I'm writing downsome of the more important things that I'm learning.

Now, of course there are some other ways that you can take notes as well thatcan really help you learn how to use Photoshop. Now, this next example comes tous form one of my previous students, Elena. She was working on a previousversion of this training, and she took these notes as she was going throughoutthe training, and the notes were absolutely stunning. She sent me a PDF ofthese, and they are so absolutely just hands-down beautiful. You can see thefull PDF at chrisorwig.com/notes.pdf.Yet one of the things that I was struck with in regards to the way that shetook notes is one, she was taking notes in a way that was authentic to her. Sheis obviously very creative, she is very artistic, so her notes are creative andthey are very artistic, and they are very visual. When you take notes in a waythat's authentic to you, it will really help you learn the subject matter.

All right. Well, why am I spending all this time talking about how to takenotes? Well, for starters, I think that Photoshop can be a little bit complex,and what I want to do throughout this training is help you simplify thatprocess. Even more, I think the content or the subject matter of what we arelearning is so much fun and it helps you create so many amazing things, thatit's really worth it.So again, my hope for you is that you come up with a technique for taking notesthat will help you retain all this information so that you can then apply whatyou have learned in these training movies to your own workflow.

Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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